A coherent ensemble of spins interfaced with a fully controllable proxy qubit is an attractive platform to generate many-body entanglement and study out-of-equilibrium dynamics in a complex quantum system. Semiconductor quantum dots are a physical realization of such a toy system, where the electron spin can be operated both as a control and a probe over the dense ensemble of nuclear spins within the QD. This talk will introduce how we can engineer all-optically a “flip-flop” interaction term between the electron and the nuclei and control the interaction strength. Further, I will present our latest experimental progress on the manipulation and characterization of the nuclear spin state, and specifically, the manifestation of subradiance in optically tailored polarised nuclear states.